Closure caps



March 1, 1960 A. STRENG ET AL 2,926,806

CLOSURE CAPS Filed Sept. 17, 1956 INVENTORS ALFRED STRENG a ALBRECHTJUTZI @MQ f n ATTORNEYS United States Patent CLOSURE CAPS ApplicationSeptember 17, 1956, Serial No.610,16'4

Claims priority, application Switzerland September 15, 1955 1 Claim.(Cl. 215-46) This invention relates to closure caps for bottles and likecontainers.

It is an object of the present invention to providea 7 novel andimproved closure cap.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a closure capwhich, in order to discourage pilfermg, indicates whether it has beenremoved from the bottle.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a closure capwhich gives a satisfactory closure even though the anti-pilfering devicehas been detached.

According to the present invention there is provided a closure cap ofresilient material having a sleeve-like stopper arranged to extend intoand engage the orifice in the neck of the bottle and a skirt providedadjacent its open end with an inwardly projecting ridge arranged to snapunder the rim or in a groove of the bottle neck, said ridge beingdelimited from the main portion of the skirt.

by a line of Weakness and being provided with a tab.

The line of weakness is preferably situated at the junction of the skirtand the inwardly projecting ridge.

A preferred embodiment of the present invention will now be describedwith reference to the accompanying drawing in which: i

Fig. l is a vertical cross section of the closure cap,

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the closure cap,

Fig. 3 is a side view of the closure cap.

The closure cap, which is of resilient material, has adjacent the openend of its skirt an inwardly projecting ridge 4 which is delimited fromthe main portion of the skirt by an encircling line of weakness orsevering groove 5. The ridge 4 is provided with a tear-tab 8. A line ofweakness in the form of a tear groove 6 extends from the edge 7 of theclosure cap adjacent one side of tab 8 to the groove 5.

The closed end 1 of the closure cap is provided with a sleeve likestopper 2 which is arranged to extend into and engage the neck orifice.The sleeve 2 has its big gest external diameter approximately halfwayalong its length and from that point tapers slightly in both directions.The thickest part of the sleeve is provided with circular ribs 10 whichassist in compensating for variations of the neck orifice.

The closure cap is originally applied to the bottle by pushing it overthe bottle neck until, by virtue of the resilience of the cap, the ridge4 snaps under the neck rim or into a groove of the neck. In thatposition, the sleeve 2 extends into and seals the neck orifice. Shouldthere be an increase in the pressure of the bottle contents, the closurecap is prevented from being pushed upwards by the engagement of theridge 4 with the rim or groove.

In order to take off the closure cap, the ridge 4 is removed by pullingon tab 8 so that the tear groove 6 tears up to the severing groove 5,whereupon, on furtherpulling of the tab 8, the ridge 4 severs alonggroove 5 from the main portion of the skirt of the cap.

The cap may then be completely removed from the bottle so that itscontents can be poured out. Alternatively, the closed end 1 of the capmay be provided with two external hollow protrusions 11 and. 12 placeddiametrically opposite each other. In that case, when the ridge 4 hasbeen removed, the cap can be slid along the neck of the bottle until thesleeve 2 comes out of engagement with the neck orifice. If the twoprotrusions 11 and 12 have been pierced or cut off, the bottle contentscan be poured through one of them, air being admitted into the bottlethrough the other.

The dimensions and strength of the cap are such that the cap cannotberemoved without severing the ridge 4 or at least damaging it.

This absence or damage of the ridge 4 indicates that the bottle has beenopened and thereby discourages pilfering. Another advantage is that theridge 4, after severing, does not remain on the bottle neck so that ifthe bottle is subsequently returned to the factory for filling, theridge does not first have to be removed.

The bottle can be closed after use in a manner satisfactory for ordinaryhousehold purposes by sliding the cap back on to the neck until thesleeve .2 again extends into and seals the neck orifice. The skirt ofthe cap also provides external sealing of the bottle neck.

In order to facilitate sliding of the cap over the neck, the skirt isprovided with grooves 9 on its interior which reduce friction betweenthe skirt and the neck. The skirt is also provided with externalreinforcing ribs 13.

The closure cap may be made of any suitable resilient material, forexample polyethylene and is preferably made in one piece by injectionmoulding.

We claim:

A closure cap of resilient material comprising a stopper portionarranged to extend into and engage the orifice in the neck of a bottle,said stopper having its biggest external diameter at a pointapproximately halfway along its length and tapering from that point inboth directions, circular external ribs extending from the thickestportion of the stopper, a skirt formed integrally with the stopper toextend around the neck of the bottle, said skirt having an externaldiameter which is smaller at its upper portion than at its lowerportion, circular grooves formed on the internal surface of the skirt,longitudinal reinforcing ribs formed on the external surface of theskirt, an inwardly projecting ridge formed integrally with the skirtadjacent its open end and arranged to snap under the rim of the bottleneck, said ridge being delimited from the main portion of the skirt by afirst line of weakness situated at the junction of the ridge and theskirt, a tab formed integrally with the ridge to be grasped for tearingalong the line of weakness, and a second line of weakness extending fromthe edge of the skirt adjacent the tab to the first line of weakness.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,704,905 Spahn Mar. 12, 1929 2,717,728 Gray Sept. 13, 1955 2,772,802Woydatt et al. Dec. 4, 1956 FOREIGN PATENTS 955,745 France July 4, 19491,028,390 France Feb. 26, 1953 r 1,073,737 France Mar. 24, 1954

